The 'Laakmolen', 's-Gravenhage

Finally back at Den Haag = The Hague!  Not so fair weather but with enough windows of opportunity and no traffic jams.  Looked at the skies on the way and wondered again if I would make it, as the grey clouds were scattered above too many places.  Luckily the windmill was standing where Google said it had to be, and parking wasn't problematic, and was free, too.  I did have to walk a bit, but that was not a problem.

What became an unexpected problem was a brick sticking out of the pavement, cleverly camouflaged to trip unsuspecting passersby, especially those holding cameras.  I thought I would regain my balance right away, but that was an unfortunate miscalculation.  Before I knew it, I was on my way down... but not before thinking of the camera and making sure I did not let go of it while falling.  My warm vest protected my body, but I did end up with a grazed left elbow and a very painful left leg.  I could not 'bounce back' the way I would have done had I been 20-something, so it took a couple of minutes.  Very thankful that the camera escaped unharmed.  Had to put it down while I scrambled to my feet, but it was okay.  Also thankful that I did not fall into the canal because I landed quite close to the edge.  In this rather shaken state, I had to make up for lost time.  The clouds were closing in and the sunset was on its way, too.

The value of this particular windmill has gone down considerably, but has stabilized as well.  It was built in 1699, renovated in 1988.  There are a couple of skyscrapers close by, and you can see it crowded in by the blocks of flats.  Around twenty years ago, it was even surrounded by trees growing so close to it that its vanes had no room to turn.  The trees were cut down.  Before that, though, early in the 80s, someone thought it would be fun to set it on fire.  A huge chunk of it was lost.  Money was pooled to get it repaired.  Today, there is a fence around it, complete with barbed wire, and the immediate area is strictly off limits.  Of course, I crept as close as I could and made some shots through the wires, but my options were few, especially as it was not facing the sun.  Thankful for light filters during post-processing.  A suggestion was once brought up in the city council to move it to a more favourable spot where it could have caught more wind, but I think it would have cost too much.  It is a sad tale, I think, and it's already a kind of 'favour' that it is still standing at all.

Passed by the supermarket on my way home.  AW too bent to prepare dinner so I did the cooking.  For the first time in decades I do not mind.  Maybe it's one of the effects of not working combined with other things like COVID lockdowns, but I actually enjoy being in the kitchen these days.  Not to rush, and I don't want AW to feel redundant, but it's good that I can do more in that area.  A yummy dish of chicken adobo with potatoes and rice, and some raw tomatoes -- simple but sufficient.

Second certificate in tonight.  Some gaming.  And I hope my leg feels better tomorrow.